Living the Creative Life: Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: yellow rat, inyour journal, ratty scraps, Wendy Hale Davis, James Michael, Wendy Huhn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

How DO they do it?

If you could ask your favorite artist or crafter only one question, chances are you'd ask about creativity: Where do your ideas come from? How did you get started? What are your tricks for overcoming blocks?

In Living the Creative Life, author Rice Freeman-Zachery has compiled answers to these questions and more from 15 successful artists in a variety of mediums--from assemblage to fiber arts, beading to mixed-media collage. Creativity is different for everyone, and these artists share their insights on the muse (if you believe in her), keeping a sketchbook (or not), and prioritizing your art, whether you aspire to create solely for your own pleasure or to become a full-time artist.

* Try your hand at creative jumpstarts straight from the pros.
* Glimpse the artists' innermost thoughts and works in progress as you peruse pages from their journals and notebooks.
* Share textile artist Sas Colby's triumph over creative block during an exotic art retreat.
* Learn how internationally acclaimed artist James Michael Starr uses experience from his former "day job" to fuel his creation today.
* Explore the work of Michael deMeng, Claudine Hellmuth, Melissa Zink and the other artists right alongside their insights.

No crafter or artist should live the creative life without Living the Creative Life! The inspiration is contagious.

About the Author

Fifteen diverse, prolific and successful artists were hand selected for this project:

Sas Colby creates textile art--wall hangings, quilts, garments and masks. She teaches a summer art retreat at Ghost Ranch, the home of Georgia O'Keeffe.

Wendy Hale Davis is a bookbinder in Austin, Texas, whose journals are her primary art form, from the inlaid handmade leather covers to the elaborate illustrations.

Michael deMeng is a jewelry and assemblage artist living in Missoula, Montana. He is the author of Secrets of Rusty Things, and he travels extensively to teach at art retreats.

Bean Gilsdorf is an art quilter in Portland, Oregon, where she also creates sculptures and installations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books (August 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581809948
• ISBN-13: 978-1581809947
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,830 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IT WORKED FOR ME!, September 25, 2007

By	Jeri Cochran (Urbana, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not even 25 pages in and I had to stop reading and make notes on ideas I had for art pieces. This book has some kind of voo doo spell that gets your art mojo flowing like crazy. What I love about this book is that there are no "instructions to make your own identical artwork" but plenty of art talk that sets your mind on fire with ideas for your own art. I'm having the best time with it. I should also add that the paper, colors, even fonts are gorgeous and the highest quality. A real pleasure to pick up.

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Happy Surprise!, September 16, 2007

By	Nagagirl (Southeast Virginia) - See all my reviews

This book is a keeper, a touchstone to come back to on those awful, dark
days when I'm sure there isn't a drop of creative energy left. It will sit
in an honored place beside my worktable between Everyday Matters by Danny Gregory and Kaleidoscope by Suzanne Simanaitis. This is where I reach when
the muse sneaks off to play the horses.

Let's face it, many of the books published about collage and mixed media art are profit-driven or a surface scratching prettifying of the creative life. I've bought and been disappointed by several. This book is the real
thing-something to dive into and come up with a pearl of a kick start to
goat-butt you out of your self pitying trough of creative dispair.

Buy the book-you will not be listing it on half.com in two weeks. It will
sit in a honored place for those moments you need something special.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking about quitting your job?, December 10, 2007

By	K. Solheim "solheimk" (Stanford, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are an artist and thinking about quitting your day job to become a full-time artist, you should definitely pick up this book. If you are thinking about doing art full-time sometime in the future, you should pick up the book. Even if you just need a creative kick-in-the-pants... you get the idea. This is a gorgeous book with tons of dialogue with real working successful artists. It is one of the few art books that I have read eagerly cover to cover.